Missionary characterizes $1.9 million purchase as ‘a miraculous act of God.’
By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle
MARSEILLE, France — At the northern edge of this seaside port city — first settled by Greek sailors 2,600 years ago — stands the abandoned Betheline monastery.
It’s just one of thousands of decaying religious structures scattered throughout France.
In a society once dominated by Catholicism, people increasingly profess no faith affiliation at all.
Faith in France: Read all the stories in the special series
“When you look across about 200 countries and territories … France is up near China, the Czech Republic and North Korea in the share of people who are unaffiliated and likely atheists,” said Stephanie Kramer, a global religious demography expert for the Pew Research Center in Washington, D.C.
Yet on a recent weekday, sunlight streamed through the stained-glass windows of the former monastery’s century-old chapel — as Christians who came to clean up debris, repair vandalism and trim 17 years of tangled brush in the outdoor prayer garden sang praises to God.
A cappella hymns such as “Sing Hallelujah to the Lord,” “God Is So Good,” and “Unto Thee, O Lord” echoed off the stone walls as members of Churches of Christ — from France, the U.S. and elsewhere — celebrated a new beginning for the Betheline.
“Father, we are so grateful to be together and praise you in this place,” prayed missionary Craig Young, who has taught the Gospel in this Western European nation for 35 years. “Lord, you were at work to prepare this place for us before we even knew it existed.”
This story appears in the December print edition of The Christian Chronicle.
Photo by Dan Cooper
Faith. Family. Fastballs. 